tarkwa bay beach

To get to Tarkwa Bay we took a water taxi from the Fiki Marina, under the Falomo bridge, near the Nigerian Law School. Fiki Marina has several decent water taxis that transport visitors from Victoria Island to Tarkwa Bay. The cost for this is N1 000 per person, per way (so N2 000 per person return). We parked our vehicle in the parking lot near the market where security guards were patrolling the area (the nearby market sells beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables), there was no cost for parking the vehicle for the day.The boat trip took us past the Radisson hotel, underneath Ahmadu Bello Way and past the Lagos Yacht Club, into the harbour, where we turned heading towards the open ocean. Tarkwa Bay is located at the harbour entrance. In total, the trip was around 15 minutes.Upon arrival, we had to walk a short distance, through the water onto the beach, since there is no jetty for visitors to get out onto. Several of the locals where ready to assist with our coolers and beach bags, but this does come at a price! We were greeted on the island by 4 local men (and several children) who were haggling and begging. From what we could gather, each of these men were "in charge" of an undercover seating area with beach chairs. THE FIRST THING you should do after arriving at Tarkwa is to establish the price you will be charged. The "beach fee" came to N1 000 per person and this was not negotiable, but be careful, they may want to charge more than this. Once you've paid your "beach fee" an official ticket will be issued to you. Now, you can select where you would like to sit. This however turned into a heated argument between the 4 men, since each wanted us to sit in "their" area. It was my understanding that part of the "beach fee" was given to the "owner" of the seating area, so all 4 men had something to gain. After the men argued amongst themselves, we selected our seats, now we could sit back and relax.We arrived at the beach at around 11:00 and we were the only visitors. This may have been due to the weather, since it did look cloudy and rainy. This weather did however pass, and it was a lovely sunny day. We had brought much of our snacks and beverages, but we later found out that the locals are also happy to assist with the barbecuing of meat and fresh fish which is also available for purchase. We had a few local craftsmen stop by, peddling some of their handmade goods, as well as a few beggars, but other than that, we were left alone. We took a swim in the ocean, but several plastic bags and containers made it rather unpleasant. The water also seemed rather dirty, considering which is understandable, considering we were at the harbour entrance. Several massive cargo ships and smaller fishing vessels were constantly going in and out, and made for interesting viewing. The beach itself was relatively clean, since the locals do their best to remove much of the rubbish that washes ashore.We later noticed the local fishermen returning, and approached them to see their catch. We purchased some fish and this was prepared for us over a barbecue with some rice. This cost us N3 000 per person, the fish was great and the overall experience made it worthwhile!After lunch we took a walk past the beach towards the ocean where several shipwrecks litter the coastline. According to a reputable website, there are more than 200 abandoned shipwrecks along the Lagos coast, with 4 being close to Tarkwa Bay. The walk to the shipwreck is on beach sand, past some beach houses and local residents and was in total probably about 700m. But in the warm sun and on a sandy surface, turned out to be quite tough walk. The wreck itself is already severely damaged and pretty much stripped, but the rusty vessel is still close enough for a budding photographer to take some nice photo's. From this wreck at Tarkwa, we could clearly see 3 other wrecks further down the coast, but this would be quite a walk and is perhaps advisable to rather do this with one of the locals for company.There is also a lighthouse on Tarkwa Bay. This is the original lighthouse that guided entry into Lagos harbour. According to the locals, this is roughly a 30min walk from the beach area. We however did not have enough time, but will return on a next visit.Upon our departure, many of the local children where still haggling and begging for money and many where again quite eager to assist us with our "baggage" in order to get a tip. A few steps through the ocean water and we were back on the taxi on our way to Fiki Marina.At this time (roughly 15:00) the beach was quite busy with many locals enjoying the good weather (the clouds had passed and it was a sunny Lagos day!). As we were leaving, we even spotted two surfers getting off a water taxi with the surfboards. I'm certain their efforts would have been well worth a watch.IMPORTANT POINTS:* Make sure your beach bag is waterproof, it may get wet as you get on and off the water taxi.* Wear your swimming costume, since changing and toilet facilities are not abundant.* Beverages and food are available for sale, but I recommend to rather take your own.* Be prepared to be haggled and "harassed" upon arrival. You are a tourist and the locals will try to take advantage of your visit.* Make sure you establish the price of anything and everything beforehand. It's custom to haggle, so know that they may try to overcharge you.* There are beach chairs and covers, but this usually "belongs" to one of the locals.* Take your own towels and if you are planning on doing more than swimming, you should take your entertainment along. The locals did provide a DJ, but I recommend that you take your own ball's, toys, floatation devices and what ever else you might feel like doing whilst on the beach.* Remember you sunscreen!* Keep your belongings close by and don't be flashy with camera's, jewellery or other items.* Jet-ski's are also available for rental, this cost N5 000 for 30min.LOCAL HELP:We met a local man by the name of Nicholas. He provided a great deal of assistance to us and we where able to haggle prices with him quite easily. He is friendly and helpful and I strongly recommend you ask for him when you arrive at Tarkwa. We paid our "beach fee" to him and he helped us select a nice spot on the beach. He also arranged our beach barbecue and told us about the jet-ski rental which he could arrange for us. He also offered to walk with us to the shipwreck and the lighthouse, but remember, it may cost you money (we opted to walk to the shipwreck alone, without problems).Enjoy your day on the beach!